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Bulletin, Progressive, Record, Reporter
Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011 9B
Bedrolls laid out, Reed "Sunshine" Gjonnes is glad to hit the
sack, cowboy camping style, after knocking out a hard 20 miles
on the Pacific Crest Trail. She and her father, Eric, .will traverse
the entire 2,650 miles by Sept. 21. Photo submitted
TRAIL, from page 1B
(Firefly) and Denny (Firewalker) Heitman and was treated to
an overnight stay in their custom built tree house.
Early beginnings
Eric Gjonnes grew up hiking but had never actually back-
packed, something he had always wanted to do.
"I had some back problems and once I had surgery I set out
to go on a hike and inadvertently ended up on a section of the
Pacific Crest Trail."
He said he met some through hikers and came to learn he
hadn't realized the full length of the PCT.
"I was fascinated by the information and set a goal of hiking
the whole trail before I turned 40 years of age; I will actually
have hiked it twice before that," said Eric, who turned 39 on
Aug. 2.
The Gjonnes family comes together July 28 to start a
week's respite at the Drakesbad Ranch Resort. Father Eric
and oldest daughter Reed started north on the Pacific Crest
Trail April 29. Reed's mother, Teresa, and sister, Annika (front),
are also traveling north and making family connections
wherever possible. Photo by M. Kate West
Pac:fjh: Crest Trail:
Learnin00I more aiT,00lii00 t"0000mas Col0000uy ni00eing l,isit00,rs
M. Kate West
Chester Editor
chesternews@plumasnews.com
In a June 2009 Feather Publishing regional
feature about the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT),
trail angel Georgi Heitman and Drakesbad
Resort's Ed Fiebiger expressed a desire.to see
more community members engage with the
dedicated trekkers of the PCT.
"When you see them at the trailhead, offer
them a ride into town," Fiebiger said. "These
are people who have money to spend in your
restaurants, stores and motels."
When asked what the solution was to
recognizing a PCT hiker from a previously
known, undesirable group of travelers,
Georgi Heitman offered advice.
"When I see someone on the road that I
think might be a PCT hiker, I stop an d roll my
window down about two inches and I ask
questions," she said.
She said, "I ask them if they are through-
hiking or section-hiking. If they look
confused at my question, they are not
hikers."
She said PCT hikers know exactly what you
are saying and defined through-hikers as
those that will travel the entire Pacific Coast
Trail in one year.
She defined section-hikers as those that will
eventually travel the entire trail but will do it
in more then one year and by traveling one
section at a time.
Other lingo used by hikers includes the
abbreviations of NOBO, SOBO and YOYO,
which refer to traveling northbound and
southbound on the.trail.
YOYO describes hikers who go from
one end of the trail and back again the same
way.
Another way to differentiate among
the individuals you see traveling to town
on the roads is the type of clothing they
wear. PCT hikers don't wear Levi's or cotton;
they wear lighter clothing that wicks away
moisture.
Trail angels and magic
A trail angel can be defined very broadly as
someone who helps hikers in some way.
Different acts of support, which are known
as "trail magic," can be as simple as water
bottles or soda pop left in re-stocked coolers at
the trailhead.
Well-identified trail angels are known to
provide overnight housing, laundry services,
transportation to and from trailheads, hot
showers and a hot meal to the hikers.
Also in the angel category, both the PCT
'community and the PCT Association have
officially recognized Drakesbad Resort as a
designated "Trail Side Inn."
"This is a designation we are very proud
of," Fiebiger said.
About the PCT
A local highlight of the Pacific Crest Trail
is the midway point, which is marked by a
gray monument that lies just seven - eight
miles south of Chester.
The PCT was one of the first scenic trails
designated in the National Trails System
authorized by Congress in 1968.
As a result of the efforts of both hikers
and equestrians, the PCT was dedicated as a
National Scenic Trail in 1993.
Stretching for 2,650 miles, the trail travels
through California, Oregon and Washington.
Because the PCT is open to equestrian use,
gradients don't exceed 15 percent. While t
hat sounds relatively accommodating, other
challenges need be remembered.
Even in the best of climate years, PCT
hikers will pass through six out of seven
of North America's eco zones. The vastly
different terrain and climate demands that
hikers be aware and prepared for the poten-
tial of scorching heat and waterless condi-
tions of high and low desert, the rough going
and possible detours within old-growth forest
along with the wet and freezing environment
of artic-alpine country.
Triple Crown of hiking
As with horseracing, known as the sport of
kings, long-distance hikers also aspire to go
the distance and receive recognition for their
Herculean effort.
In the world of hiking, such recognition
comes to those who hike America's longest
trails, in particular the mid-range, 2,650-mile
Pacific Crest Trail, the 3,100-mile Continental
Divide Trail and the 2,175-mile Appalachian
Trail.
People on the record for hiking all three
trails receive a Triple Crown award.
Locals who have the opportunity to meet
PCT hikers also have the ability to track
those hikers' end-of-season progress by going
to pcta.org.
The website has a tab entitled the "2,650
Miler List" where viewers can find hikers
listed by the year and by either their legal or
trail names.
Other shorter trails in the National Scenic
Trails lineup include the North Country
Trail, the Ice Age Trail, the Potomac Heritage
Trail, the Natchez Trace Trail and the Florida
Trail.
I I I IIIII I I III II I I
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